Denver City Wire

Restore the Rockies, an independent expenditure committee, released a new ad that criticizes Gov. Jared Polis for trying to disguise tax increases as "fees," and for policies that the group claims have led to more crime.

An independent expenditure committee, Restore the Rockies is focused on holding Polis responsible for the policies he has enacted as Colorado’s governor, according to the organization’s website. The group shared its advertisement on Twitter, issuing a mocking “salute” to Polis. 

“In just a few short years, you turned Colorado into a hot mess,” the narrator said in the ad posted on social media. “Thanks to you, we are now No. 1 in the country in auto theft. Drug overdoses are now as common in our state as bighorn sheep. If your goal was more crime and homelessness, job well done, Jared Polis. You raise taxes by calling them fees, and then you say you're going to cut taxes. Well played, governor. We almost fell for it. So here's to you, Jared Polis. No one is better at creating problems and then saying, 'I'm just the person to fix them.'"

Some data may lend credence to the group's claims, according to CPR News, which noted that murder in the Rocky Mountain State has increased by 47% from 2019 to 2021, and there also has been a spike in violent crimes, including sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault, which rose 17% during the same period. Moreover, the organization noted that property crimes have jumped 20% and overall crime also is on the rise, with the jump only outpaced by three states – Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah. 

“Colorado, historically, has been a remarkably safe state, well below the national averages … we can’t say that anymore,” former Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen told CPR News.

Pazen told the news outlet that he has studied the crime data and acknowledged that big hurdles exist.  

“Until we come together and are even willing to admit we have a problem, I’m not sure how we’ll be able to get this fixed,” he told CPR News. 

And the problems are real, with Denver City Wire reporting that Colorado had more car thefts in 2021 than any other state, according to statistics from the Colorado Department of Public Safety. From 2019 to 2021, car thefts nearly doubled, jumping from 377 per 100,000 residents to 637 per 100,000 residents. This outpaces the national average of 246 car thefts per 100,000 residents, the report indicated.

The state is also in the throes of a drug epidemic, with the rate over overdose deaths on the rise, from 16.5 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2018 to 31.7 deaths per 100,000 residents last year, the Denver Post reported, crediting information from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment. 

The cost of living is also becoming fodder for campaign ads, with Complete Colorado Page 2 noting that Polis has signed his name to 83 bills that ultimately have cost state residents up to $617 million annually. 

Homelessness also continues to increase, according to Axios, with the number of homeless in the state skyrocketing 266% from 2007 to 2021. 

According to Ballotpedia, Polis is facing a challenge from Republican Heidi Ganahl in the Nov. 8 general election.